Meet Our Team

Dora began her yoga journey in 2006, in a friend's back yard in Waterbury, CT. She continued her practice, exploring different studios, teachers, and styles of yoga. Her interest in the practice continued to grow. In 2018 she completed her 200-RYT training at The Om Center in Watertown. Dora spent a short time teaching before the pandemic and, after having a baby in 2022, she is excited to return to teaching here at Nourished Roots. She has been studying Pilates at NVCC since 2023 and it has seasoned her yoga style.

Dora is the owner of Earthship Studios in Waterbury, a private tattoo and piercing studio, as well as co-owner of StarfirexEarthship, a maker space in the same building. She is a tattoo artist, illustrator and crafter. Dora lives in Waterbury with her husband, Tarek, their son and two cats.

My passion for fitness started at a young age and my love for yoga began over 20 years ago. Over time yoga became my saving grace. It always made me feel better ; body, mind and overall state of being.

Registered with Yoga Alliance, I began my yoga teacher training back in 2010 at Sanctuary Power Yoga in Torrington but returned to it back in 2020 with Matt Giordano at the former Akasa studio in Thomaston . I immediately began teaching on-line in 2020 and in person as soon as the studio re-opened after Covid. I continued on to teach locally in several studios and gyms.

I am both Yin and Reiki certified , which I enjoy using energy healing to assist clients to move beyond blockages in both fascia and energy wheels known as Chakras.

My specialty has always been more power based combined with vinyasa flow. Emphasis of this combination is on holding and decomposing the poses, stretching the body and moving with breath.

I am married living locally in Plymouth and have two grown children and two grand daughters. When not practicing yoga ,I am and optician/manager at New Insight Eyecare which I love helping patients see clearly and look their best in exciting new eyewear. I also enjoy motorcycle riding, traveling, hiking,kayaking and spending time listening to my son’s band play live at various local venues.

I look forward to meeting you and sharing our yoga practice together.

Michael Lynch, originally from Delaware, relocated to Connecticut to pursue his Masters in Counseling at Southern Connecticut State University. Transitioning from being a middle school counselor, he now serves as a Director of Student Services.

In 2012, Michael embarked on his yoga journey with the goal of finding mental serenity and alleviating back pain. His weekly yoga class soon became a daily practice, driven by the connection he felt between psychology, helping others, and yoga. This synergy led him to complete his 200 RYT training, becoming a certified yoga teacher.

Initially, Michael's intention in becoming a yoga teacher was solely to deepen his own practice, but that changed when given the opportunity to teach. His teaching style is characterized by a slow flow or slow vinyasa, catering to a range of practitioners from gentle classes to more vigorous vinyasas.

Grace is a 500-hour Kripalu Yoga teacher and Sound Healing Practitioner. Her classes use creative sequences and intentional breath practices as modalities to cultivate self-compassion and understanding of the subtle energies of the body. With a passion for energy-work and deep relaxation, Grace also incorporates sound healing into class to create a space where students can simply rest and be supported. She has over five years experience working with youth in recovery from trauma and mental health challenges.

Grace is certified in somatic body work and is a Master Sekhem and Reiki energy healing practitioner. She has led over 3,000 yoga and relaxation experiences and offers private yoga, body work and sound healing sessions across Northwestern, CT.

Find out more about Grace by visiting her website, https://gemyogi.com

Hama Pertab has completed her yoga training in Rishikesh, India and is a RYT500, registered yoga teacher with USA Yoga Alliance. Hama specializes in teaching gentle and all-levels yoga incorporating the ancient practice of Hatha Yoga and Sound-Healing. In her classes, she leads guided sessions of yoga as a regulated, mindful and gentle practice to bring attention to the subtle flow of energy within one’s being. Hema is also an artist and sometimes incorporates color therapy in visual healing meditations. https://hemapertab.weebly.com/ 

Coraima “Cora” Rae’s passion for movement and healing through mindfulness and creative expression inspired them to pursue a career in guiding others to do the same.

From a young age, Cora always had a profound sensitivity and connection to the energetic frequencies within and around them. As they learned more about themselves they began to recognize the importance in holding space for others, strengthening community, and encouraging self-growth, unconditional love and personal liberation.

Their spiritual beginning came in 2009 after taking a class called “Energy And Words.” In this class they were able to explore and experiment with creative writing through incorporating the practices of Qi-Gong and guided meditation. It was from then on that Cora began to develop a deeper interest in wanting to dive further into spirituality and meditation, which nurtured their path to discovering yoga and eventually becoming a teacher.

Cora began their first teaching position at Healthtrax Fitness and Wellness in Bristol, Connecticut in September 2023 and has been a well-regarded yoga teacher and aqua fitness instructor since. They are a RYT200, registered yoga teacher at Yoga Alliance graduating at Ignite Yoga And Wellness Institute, a yoga school founded by Susanna Barkataki. Cora was awarded a scholarship to complete 300 hours of advanced training in Yoga Philosophy, Asana, Pranayama, Meditation, Anatomy and teaching techniques in the Hatha Yoga tradition, receiving their certification in January 2023. They trained in the tradition of Patanjali’s classical eight-limbed yoga.

As a late-onset chronic pain survivor, their personal at-home practice has shifted and now primarily focuses on pain relief and stress-reduction while infusing Yin/Restorative yogic modalities with meditative somatic movement and conscious intentional breathwork.

Cora is enthusiastically devoted to living mindfully, cultivating authentic community and holding space to guide themselves and others to their own Yoga, their (re)union, their healing, freedom, journey and quintessential return to their higher selves.

My name is Becca, and I am a 200-RYT certified from The OM Center in Watertown, CT. I began my Yoga journey at a very young age. My inspiration in both life and in my practice is my momma. Some of my earliest memories are laying on my mom’s mat, and her practicing yoga in our little living room in Waterbury, CT. You could say it left an impression!

I chose to pursue my teaching certification because I want to bring joy and comfort to others. That’s what Yoga has given me throughout my life: joy and comfort. The classes I teach have a strong foundation in Vinyasa (flow), and also focus on noticing how you feel in this safe space. I have a strong medical background (in addition to my yogic background) and use this knowledge to influence writing safe classes with plenty of modifications. My classes are definitely beginner friendly and stress that “Every Body - of all sizes and shapes - can practice Yoga.” Yoga has helped me realize at the end of the day: there’s beauty in movement but even more beauty in stillness. I hope I can help guide your practice! See you soon.

Stephanie's passion for yoga arises from its potential as a holistic healing practice and lifestyle. She is a Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher specializing in Yin Yoga, Yoga Therapy for Stress & Anxiety, and Yoga for Addiction Recovery. Stephanie shares teachings that emphasize body and breath healing modalities, self-development, and mindfulness, promoting healing through deep self-awareness. Students describe her offerings as "soul-nourishing and deeply relaxing" with a gentle approach that encourages them to connect with their emotional, mental and physical bodies.